Unusual Circumstances
by CollegeAuthor
Summary: When Mulder and Scully are called to Texas to investigate a string of gruesome murders, they are faced with an even bigger threat when their own lives are in iminent danger.
1. Chapter 1

**I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE X-FILES **

Mulder sat alone in his office waiting for Scully to arrive. Though they rarely went in before 8:00am, Mulder had asked Scully to come in early to review a new case. He had called her at 4:30am, and it was almost 6:00am. Mulder was getting impatient.

Mulder watched the clock tick as he wondered what was taking Scully so long. He sat at his desk, organizing pencils from smallest to largest, until he became bored. He started throwing pencils at the ceiling, trying to catch the pointy lead tips in the drywall. Just as Mulder was throwing his last pencil at the ceiling, Scully walked in, looking professional as usual.

"Is this why you made me come in early?" Scully asked sarcastically.

"You're late." Mulder said, with a slight smile on his face.

"Late? It's 6:00am, we're not even supposed to be here until 8:00. As soon as I got off the phone with you, I hopped in the shower and drove here. I even skipped breakfast."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Mulder said, rolling his eyes. "Well now that you're here, why don't you grab a seat and sit down."

Scully grabbed a chair pinned up near the wall and faced the projector. Mulder had a remote in his hands.

"Dana Scully," Mulder began. "What you're about to see-…"

"Mulder, just get on with it. I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet." Scully interrupted Mulder.

"You're no fun." Mulder muttered.

Mulder turned the projector on and moved out of the way so Scully could see. A blurred, pinkish mess filled the screen.

"What is that?" Scully asked, a perplexed expression appearing on her face.

"That, Scully, is the remnants of a Mr. Frederick Howard of Houghton, Texas."

Scully stood up from her chair and walked towards the screen. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked what was right in front of her.

"What happened to him? Scully asked.

"No one really knows. He went to work, as usual, last Tuesday morning and never came home. His coworker found this, well, this mess. It was all that was left of him, he was skinned alive." Mulder said.

"Oh my God, Mulder." Scully said with a disgusted look on her face. "Was there an autopsy performed?"

"They couldn't really do an autopsy. All they found was his skin…"

"This," Scully began. "This is, _this is his skin_?"

"Yeah, not exactly a clean job, was it?" Mulder said.

Scully looked as though she were about to be sick.

"Are you okay, Scully? I thought you would be alright considering you're a doctor and all." Mulder asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm uh, I'm fine. Mulder this, this is an unusual case, but what makes you think that it's an x-file?"

"Mr. Howard hasn't been the only one in this small town to be found like this." Mulder said.

Mulder pressed the remote to switch to the next slide.

"Carolyn Johnson. She left for a business meeting in Dallas but never showed up."

Carolyn Johnson's body looked very similar to Frederick Howard's. Mulder looked at Scully and she looked like she was about to vomit.

"David Broman. He left to go visit his mother in a nursing home, never showed up."

Scully was visibly disturbed by these images, so Mulder turned the projection screen off.

"There have been three other bodies found exactly like this." Mulder said softly.

"Mulder, I have to admit, whoever did this has a very sick mind. But this looks like the work of a serial killer." Scully said queasily.

"That's, that's exactly what I first suspected too. When I reviewed these peoples' files, I found no obvious connection to any of them. The Sherriff Department feels they can't handle this on their own, so they've asked for help from the FBI." Mulder said.

Scully stared straight ahead and nodded her head.

"Scully, if this, if this bothers you, I can find someone else to come with me down to Texas." Mulder said.

Scully turned her head quickly and looked at Mulder.

"Mulder, I'm not going to lie to you, this is extremely disturbing to look at; but I can do my job." Scully said firmly.

"Alright then. I've booked us a flight at the airport, our flight leaves at noon."

Scully nodded her head and walked towards the office door.

"I'll um; I'll go pack some things." Scully said, as she hurried out of the door.

The flight to Texas was a long, boring one. Mulder sat near the window with his ear buds on, drifting off to sleep, as Scully read over the victim's files.

"Mulder, it says in this file that-….Mulder...MULDER." Scully said, trying to wake Mulder up.

Mulder's eyes fluttered open from his deep sleep, and he glanced over to Scully. She gave him a compassionate look as she pulled his ear buds from his ears.

"It says in all these peoples' files that they all worked for or did business with Glinston Financial. That could be the connection." Scully said.

"Frederick Howard worked for Jolston Lumber Yard, and I believe Carolyn Johnson worked for Harley-McKlennan Insurance Firm. I don't remember off the top of my head who the others worked for." Mulder said.

"Yes, but Mulder, Glinston Financial was life-insurance provider for Jolston Lumber Yard; and Harley-McKlennan Insurance Firm is being bought out by Glinston Financial." Scully explained.

Mulder sat up straighter in his seat,

"Do you think someone in Glinston Financial is doing this?" Mulder asked Scully.

"I'm not sure, but it's a good place to start looking. It's the only connection we've got at this point." Scully said, re-reading the file.

When the plane landed, Scully and Mulder were greeted by the Sherriff's deputies.

"Hello there, Miss-…" The Deputy said in a heavy southern accent.

"Scully, and this is my partner, Mulder." Scully said, shaking both the deputies' hands.

"Pleasure to meet you." The second deputy said. "I'm John Davis, and this is Bill Weaver, but everyone calls him Bucky."

"Hello, _Bucky_," Mulder said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

Scully shot Mulder a look and he smiled back at her.

"Um, we appreciate you coming to greet us, but we were going to rent a ca-…." Scully began.

"Don't be silly!" Bucky said in his thick accent. "We'll drive ya!"

"Oh, well, we appreciate that, but um-…" Scully began.

"What my partner here means," Mulder began. "Is that we're going to have to be doing our own investigation, and we'll need a car to get around when you're not there."

"Well don't you worry," Bucky said, pulling two cards out of his pocket. "Call day or night, it's no problem. We don't want you getting lost, now do we?"

"We'll get a map." Scully said bluntly.

"Well aren't you just a funny young thing." Bucky said, blowing Scully off.

Mulder and Scully exchanged glances, grabbed their luggage and followed the deputies out to the parking lot. After walking for what seemed like forever, they finally came to the Sherriff's car. Just as Scully was about to get into the back seat with Mulder, Bucky held his arm in front of her.

"Now, now, please, we're not going to make you sit in the back."

"Really, I don't mind." Scully said, trying to open the door. Bucky closed the door shut. "Really, please, I insist. Take the front."

Scully locked eyes with Bucky. His friendly demeanor had faded for about a millisecond, but Scully had noticed it. There was something very odd going on in this town. Scully opened the front door and sat in the passenger seat next to John. He gave her a big, fake smile, and she returned it with a blank stare. Scully caught Mulder's glare in the mirror, and she noticed he knew something strange was going on as well.

"So where ya all from again?" Bucky asked.

"Washington D.C." Scully said, with her face towards the window.

"Ahhh, okay. Well we'll be goin' to the Sherriff's Station, where we can give you more information." Bucky replied from the back seat.

"Bucky, if you don't mind, my partner and I would like to drop our stuff off at the hotel first. We spent a good part of the day on a plane and we'd like to get settled." Scully said.

"Oh, don't worry about that, we'll have someone drop it off for ya." Bucky said.

Scully was getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. From the glare she got from Mulder in the mirror, she could tell he felt the same way. They drove for about 15 more minutes before Scully came up with an idea.

"Um, are there any drug stores around here?" Scully said awkwardly.

"Huh?" Bucky asked.

"Drug stores." Scully repeated. "Are there any around here?"

"Uh, why?" Bucky asked.

"I need some feminine products." Scully blurted out.

"Oh, uh, well when we get to the stat-…"

"I need them now." Scully insisted.

"Oh, um alright, John isn't there a CVS down here somewhere?" Bucky said.

John nodded and exchanged looks with Bucky in the mirror. Scully and Mulder's nervousness began to raise until John pulled into a CVS.

"Alright, what did ya say you needed agai-…" Bucky asked as Scully got out of the car.

"You know what? I need to use the restroom, I'll be right back." Mulder said as he got out of the car.

Mulder and Scully walked towards the CVS as Bucky and John exchanged glances. When they got into the store, Scully walked towards the feminine products and Mulder followed.

"They don't want us talking to each other." Scully said.

"I know, I know. I'm starting to wonder what's going on myself." Mulder said, looking around nervously.

"Should we just, go?" Scully asked, unconvinced that her own suggestion was any good.

"No, we wait it out. They probably know we think something strange is going on, but let's just play it out and see where it takes us for now."

"Okay," Scully said, nodding her head at Mulder.

"Ooooh, _strawberry flavored_-…." Mulder began to say sarcastically, when Scully pulled the little cardboard box out of his hand.

Scully put the box on the shelf and picked up a package of Midol.

"What are you doing?" Mulder asked.

"If I walk out with nothing, they'll know."

"They already know." Mulder said.

Scully gave Mulder a look. "Look, why don't you go out now. It will look suspicious if we walk out together."

Mulder nodded and walked out of the CVS. Scully hopped in line, and before she grabbed her wallet, she made sure her gun was secure in its holster. If anything were to happen, she was going to be prepared.


	2. Chapter 2

Scully walked out of the CVS to find the Sherriff's car running with Bucky in the front. She exchanged glances with Mulder and opened the car door.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Bucky asked, in a slightly irritated voice.

"Yup." Scully said, as she buckled her seatbelt.

Bucky exchanged glances with Bucky in the mirror and pulled out onto the main road. They drove for about 15 minutes before they came to a stop at an old, rundown building that looked as though the wind could knock it over.

"Welp, he we are!" Bucky exclaimed.

Mulder got out of the backseat and spit a sunflower seed shell on to the dirt road.

"_This_ is the Sherriff's Station?" Mulder asked.

"Yeeee-up." Bucky said loudly. "Since 1878."

"They must be using the original building." Scully muttered sarcastically.

Bill and Bucky showed Mulder and Scully inside, where it looked a little cleaner than the outside appearance. Besides the papers thrown about on the floor, it looked like a regular Sheriff's office. Bill sat down at a desk and started ruffling through paperwork, while Bucky motioned for Mulder and Scully to follow him. While following Bucky, he led them through the detainee quarters, where inmates had no problem whistling and shouting taunting remarks towards Scully. Mulder became annoyed, turned around and grabbed Scully's arm to put her in front of him so he wouldn't miss anything grotesque the prisoners had in mind.

"Why don't you tell your boyfriend to let you come over here, _Baby_." An obviously drunk prisoner said.

Bucky chuckled at this, causing Mulder to lose his temper. He grabbed Bucky's arm and spun him around.

"Is there something funny?" Mulder said loudly.

Bucky looked alarmed by Mulder's sudden movement, and Scully put her hand on Mulder's forearm.

"Mulder, it's okay-…" Scully began.

"No, it's not okay! I want to know what the hell is going on here! You won't let us do anything without your permission when _you're_ the ones that called us down here, and then you let these scumbags harass my partner!" Mulder yelled.

Scully took her hand off of Mulder's arm and looked away. She appreciated him looking after her, but he was making a scene.

"Agent Mulder-…" Bucky began.

"Oh, enough with the _Agent Mulder_ crap, I'm about to head back to D.C. with my partner and let you people deal with this!"

"Agent Mulder please, what I'm trying to say is….we didn't call you down here. I spoke to you on the phone a few days ago, you wanted to come down here. You said you saw the murders in the paper and wanted to investigate, that's the only reason the Sheriff allowed this." Bucky said.

Mulder gave Bucky a confused look while Scully exchanged looks with the prisoner that was taunting her. He gave her a creepy wink, and she quickly broke eye contact.

"I think, Bucky, it would be best if we talked about this in private." Scully suggested.

Bucky scoffed. "Yeah, well why don't you tell your-…"

"Yes, Agent Mulder and I will join you in your office, behind closed doors."

Bucky nodded and looked at his arm in which Mulder was still grasping. Mulder let it go and followed Bucky into another office area, Scully following behind them both and shutting the doors behind her.

"Why don't you both take a-…" Bucky began.

"What the hell_ is_ going on?" Scully demanded, cutting him off.

"I told you, a few days ago, we got a call from-…"

"I didn't call you people, you called me!" Mulder exclaimed, throwing his arms around.

"Agent Mulder-…" Bucky started to say.

"Oh, you know what? Stop, just….just stop. Please just drive me and my partner back to the-…." Mulder started to say.

"Please, wait. We really did receive a call from you the other day. Maybe, maybe someone is setting you up, I don't kn-…."

"And what the hell kind of purpose would that serve?" Mulder said, cutting Bucky off once again.

"Agent Mulder, please calm down. All I know is, you, or someone claiming to be you, called down here about two days ago and asked about the case. Now, it's obvious someone wants you down here, but the Sheriff wanted me to keep a close eye-…"

"_A close eye_?" Mulder said with a hint of sarcasm. "That's a bit of an understatement, now isn't it?"

Bucky sighed and looked down, putting his fingers to his scalp. It was obvious that Mulder was giving him a headache. Scully had never seen Mulder this upset over an impersonal before, but she understood why he was so angry. Someone was either setting them up for harm, or purposely wasting their time.

"Look, Bucky, I think it would be best if my partner and I went back to the airport. We're going to go back to Washington." Scully said softly.

Bucky scoffed once again. "After all this?"

"Look, it-it's pretty obvious that you don't need or _want_ us here I should say, and it seems that we're wasting each other's time. I think it would be in everybody's best interest if you would just bring us back to the airport."

"Unfortunately, we can't do that." A voice coming behind Scully said.

Mulder and Scully turned around to see a tall, portly man with black hair and a mustache standing behind them. He had a bronze star on his chest that read "_Sheriff_."

"Sheriff Tucker, pleased to make your-…."

"And why can't you do that?" Scully asked, shooting down the Sheriff's welcome.

Sheriff Tucker looked angry. Obviously, he wasn't used to be talked to that way.

"There's a storm front coming through within the next hour," he said. "We're expecting heavy rains and tornadoes."

Scully looked outside the window and opened the blinds. It was sunny and blue.

"_Really_?" Scully said sarcastically.

Sheriff Tucker nodded his head. "You're welcome to stay here, in the office, until it passes."

Mulder and Scully exchanged glances. Mulder put his hands on his hips and turned away quickly to throw a sunflower seed that he was sucking on out of his mouth. Sheriff Tucker gave them a curtly nod and proceeded into his office with Bill and Bucky, closing the door behind him.

"What should we do, Mulder?" Scully asked, the fear heavily apparent in her voice.

Mulder looked at Scully, he hadn't seen her so nervous in a long time. He tried to stay calm so he wouldn't add to her anxiety.

"Don't worry, we'll get out of-…"

"They don't want us to leave, they won't _let_ us leave!" Scully said, starting to hyperventilate.

Mulder turned around and faced Scully. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"Don't worry, Scully. I've got these." Mulder looked around before taking a hand of Scully's shoulder and showing her the pair of keys he must have snatched from Bucky in the hallway.

"But when did you-…" Scully began.

"Shhh, in the hallway when I, er, grabbed him. We'll wait until they leave us alone and then we'll break for it." Mulder said.

"We should just go now…"

"No, they'll follow us. They want us down here for a reason, they aren't about to let us go that easily. I want to get the other pair of keys for the other car so they can't follow us." Mulder said, still looking Scully in the eyes.

"Okay, Mulder. Okay, is there anything I can do?" Scully asked.

"Just be your normal, charming self." Mulder said, squeezing her shoulders.

Scully rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. Bill opened the door and came out of the Sheriff's office.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" Bill asked.

"No tha-…" Scully began to say.

"Yeah, something cold, please, water, ice tea…anything." Mulder said over Scully.

As soon as Bill turned around, Scully turned to face Mulder.

"Mulder, what are you doing?"

"Relax, Scully, I know what I'm doing." Mulder said, his eyes smiling.

Bill came back with an ice tea and handed it to Mulder.

"The Sheriff, Bucky, and I are going to be going over these case reports in the office. You two are welcome to make yourselves comfortable over here until we get out." Bill said.

Scully nodded and gave a small, fake smile before Bill turned back into the office. She turned to face Mulder, who was still smiling.

"_What_ are you doing?" Scully asked Mulder.

Mulder locked eyes with Scully and turned around towards the door. He walked out of the office area and towards the inmate holding center.

"Shut the door behind you," Mulder instructed.

Scully shut the door and gave Mulder a weird look. The inmates starting taunting Scully again. This time, Mulder approached the creepy inmate that winked at her before.

"Ice tea?" Mulder asked the inmate.

"Pshh. I don't want that garbage." The inmate replied.

"Scully, do you want it then? I think it has marijuana in it." Mulder said.

The inmates eyes lit up at this. "Well, well, wait a second, I'll have it if you don't want it."

Mulder handed the cup over to the inmate and exchanged looks with Scully. She couldn't believe how stoned or stupid this man was. He gulped the whole drink down, and tipped the cup upside down to make sure he didn't miss any. He threw the Styrofoam cup back at Mulder and lay down on his bed, with his arms under his head. The inmate shut his eyes, and his arms went limp under his head.

"Mulder…" Scully said unsurely. She walked towards Mulder, keeping her eyes on the inmate.

"They drugged it." Mulder said, looking at Scully. "They drugged the tea. You're right, let's get out of here."

Scully nodded at Mulder and started walking towards the exit, when Mulder grabbed her arm to stop her. She gave him a weird look, and turned around to see Sheriff Tucker pointing a shotgun in both of their faces.

_Two chapters so far, I hope you are all enjoying the story! Please leave your comments and reviews, and I'll post a new chapter very soon!_


	3. Chapter 3

Scully stared at the shotgun and then the man behind it. Mulder was standing wide-eyed next to Scully, not scared, but angry.

"Sherriff, I don't know what's going on here-…." Scully started to say.

"Oh, save it. You two aren't going anywhere. Get back, now!" Sherriff Tucker said, pointing the shotgun in Scully's face.

Mulder grabbed Scully's arm and pushed her behind him.

"How very noble of you, Agent Mulder, but as it so happens, I'm going to need you and your partner alive…for now."

"The bodies…the murders…was any of it real?" Mulder asked in an angry voice.

"We needed to make sure you would come down here. We figured a disturbing x-file might do the trick…" Sherriff Tucker said, slightly smiling.

"Why us?" Scully asked, behind Mulder.

Bill and Bucky showed up behind the Sherriff holding shotguns. The Sherriff attempted to get to Scully by pushing Mulder out of the way, but Mulder held her behind him. Sherriff Tucker grabbed the end of the shotgun and forced Mulder against the wall, shoving the barrel up Mulder's chin. Bucky took over the Sherriff's position as he walked up to Scully.

"Well, for one thing," The Sherriff said, pulling Scully's weapon out of her holster, "We needed _you_ here, Dr. Scully.

Scully broke eye contact with the Sherriff as he invaded her personal space. Bill pulled Mulder's gun out of his holster as Bucky held the shotgun on him. Mulder looked angry, as his eyes darted from Scully to the Sherriff.

"And why did you need me?" Scully asked, he voice slightly shaking.

"We figured if we had you, Mulder would be more likely to do what we wanted." The Sherriff said, pushing a red lock of hair out of Scully's face.

"Don't you dare touch her, you Son of a Bitch!" Mulder screamed.

Though Mulder was pinned against the wall, he began to struggle, causing Bucky and Bill to hit him repeatedly with their shotguns. Milder took a heavy blow to the jaw and slid down the wall.

"No! Stop! You're hurting him!" Scully yelled, trying to run to Mulder.

The Sherriff held his arm out and caught Scully as she tried to run to Mulder. She kicked the Sherriff hard in the groin, causing him to double back in pain. He dropped the shotgun, and Scully made a run to grab it. Just when she had grabbed the handle, she felt a hard blow to the face as the Sherriff kicked her in the cheek. She went out cold.

Mulder, still pinned against the wall looked horrified as his partner lay unconscious and bleeding on the floor. The inmates began to howl with laughter and insults.

"Bucky," The Sherriff said, "let our friends out of their cages."

Bucky nodded as Bill took over guarding Mulder. He grabbed the keys and unlocked the cells, one by one, as the inmates walked out smiling. One raggedy man with a gray mullet and dirty tank top gave Mulder a toothless grin as he made his way over to Scully. Mulder saw what he was doing and began to struggle once again.

"Not now, Kevin." The Sherriff said to the inmate.

"But you said-…" The inmate began.

"I said, not now. We still need her."

"Let me at least-…." Kevin began.

"Later, as agreed." The Sherriff said sternly.

Kevin nodded his head begrudgingly and made his way over to Mulder.

"Wait until you see what I have in store for your partner," Kevin whispered in Mulder's ear.

Mulder unsuccessfully tried to struggle as Kevin mocked him. He looked at Scully's limp body on the ground and wondering if she was alright. She would wake up with a nasty bruise, and Mulder could only hope that was the worst she would get. After all, he had gotten her into this.

"Alright, we don't have all day, bring them to the cellar." The Sherriff ordered his deputies and Kevin.

"What about her?" Bucky asked, nodding towards Scully.

"What about her?" The Sherriff asked. "You're not strong enough to lift her?"

Bucky rolled his eyes and made his way towards Scully. He pulled her arms up, and lifted her over his shoulder. Mulder hated seeing him touch her, but there was nothing he could do about it. Bill stuck the shotgun into Mulder's back, motioning for him to move.

Mulder walked behind Bucky and in front of Bill and Kevin. The other inmates followed the Sherriff into his office. When they got to a set of concrete stairs and descended, Mulder noticed that it was a lot cooler and darker than the upper offices. Bucky led them into a small dirty cell, where he practically flung Scully onto the floor with no effort. Mulder squinted as her head banged against the concrete.

Bill locked the cell door and ascended up the stairs with Bucky and Kevin. When Mulder heard a door slam, he knew they were alone. He rushed over to Scully who was still unconscious, and bleeding from her mouth. Mulder sat against the wall and put her head onto his lap until she began to stir.

Scully fluttered her eyes and tried to sit up, but grabbed her cheek with her hand, as she winced back in pain. Mulder held her back up to steady her.

"Wh-where are we?" Scully asked, as blood ran from her lip.

"The cellar, they put us down here after they-uh- after they-…" Mulder began.

"Socked me in the jaw?" Scully suggested.

Mulder nodded apologetically. "Yeah. Are you okay, Scully?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Scully said, massaging her bruised jaw. "Or at least I will be if we can find a way out of here."

Scully looked around. There was nothing in the cell except dirt, dust, a dead mouse, and a small window with bars about eight feet up. There was virtually no way to escape.

"We'll be okay, Scully," Mulder tried to stay assertively.

Scully gave Mulder an unconvinced look. "Mulder, whatever the reason they called us here, they're not just going to let us go. They called us here for a reason. Even if we did get out of this cell, there's nothing around for miles. We're essentially trapped here."

Mulder wiped a spec of blood off of Scully's lip. "Well whatever it is they want, they won't hurt you if I do as they say."

"Mulder, they already did. They wanted to show us that they won't hesitate to use force. We don't even know what they want, and we certainly can't trust them to let us go when this is all over."

Mulder didn't want to admit it, but he knew Scully was right. He didn't want to leave her side; God only knows what they would do to her. Mulder looked up at the window; if only the bars weren't there, the hole was big enough for Scully to get through. Just as Mulder was getting lost in his thoughts, he heard the cellar door open.

"Scully, get behind me." Mulder instructed.

"Mulder-…" Scully said, getting cut off.

"Scully, I mean it," Mulder said, grabbing her arms and throwing her behind him once again.

The Sherriff came down with Kevin and Bucky this time. Scully peeked around Mulder, only to see Kevin give her a creepy grin; causing her to break eye contact quickly.

"Come on, Agent Mulder, we're ready for you now." Bucky said.

Mulder said nothing and did nothing. Kevin and Bucky held shotguns on him as the Sherriff opened the door and grabbed Mulder by the arm. Mulder flung his arm aside.

"You don't want to do this, Mr. Mulder," The Sherriff said. "Your life isn't the only one on the line."

Mulder glanced at Scully from the side and proceeded out into the corridor. Kevin grabbed the keys and locked Scully inside.

"Bye-bye sweetheart, we'll be back for you in a little bit," Kevin said to Scully.

Mulder made one last eye contact with Scully and proceeded up the stairs. Whatever the Sherriff and his gang were planning, they were not messing around.

_Thank you for reading! Please leave your comments and reviews, and I will post the new chapter sooner!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, so apparently, I've made a few mistakes in this story when I went back to read it. The two deputies' names were supposed to be Bill (Bucky) and John, but I've been calling them Bill and Bucky for the last two chapters. Sorry for the mistake, but to avoid further confusion, I'm going to remain calling them Bill and Bucky. Sorry for any confusion! I also want to apologize for some of my grammar mistakes, I should have been more careful! I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story nevertheless! _

Mulder walked up the cellar stairs and into the office. He was getting annoyed; having a shotgun constantly in his back was pissing him off. Bucky walked behind him, whistling a long tune that made Mulder want to cringe.

"Put him in my office, then cuff him to the chair." Sherriff Tucker said.

Bill opened the door to the Sherriff's office, shoving Mulder in with the barrel of his shotgun. Bucky grabbed Mulder's wrists and cuffed them individually to the arms of the chair.

"You're not even going to buy me dinner?" Mulder asked sarcastically.

Bucky chuckled at this, and tightened the cuffs. He obviously understood that Mulder was in no position to be cracking jokes.

"Agent Mulder-…" The Sherriff began.

"Just one question," Mulder began. "Are you_ really_ a Sherriff, or is this just some big game you're playing with us?"

The Sherriff scoffed. "You think this is a game? You think I won't blow your brains out right now?" The Sherriff said, cocking his pistol and aiming at Mulder's head.

"What was the point of all this? There were other ways of getting us down to Texas. Hell, you could have just came to D.C. and pulled this!" Mulder said, struggling against the cuffs.

"We needed to make sure you'd come, Agent Mulder. And to answer your question, I am the Sherriff, in a matter of speaking." Sherriff Tucker said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mulder asked.

"Mr. Mulder, I didn't bring you here to play 20 questions. You're going to be doing something for us, or we'll kill your partner."

The Sherriff had Mulder's full attention. "And what is it, you wish for me to do?" Mulder asked in an irritated tone.

The Sherriff reached into his desk and pulled and ear bug out. He walked over to Mulder and forcefully stuck it into his ear. Mulder cocked his head quickly, but Kevin and Bucky held his head in place.

"We'll give you further instructions when you get to Washington." Sherriff Tucker said.

"We're going back to Washington?" Mulder asked, shaking his head to get rid of his ear pain.

"You are. Agent Scully will stay with us until your assignment is complete." Sherriff Tucker said.

"I don't think so. I'm not doing anything for you until you release Agent Scully."

"This isn't a democracy, Agent Mulder. You're going to do this, or we _will_ kill your partner." Sherriff Tucker said.

Mulder looked sideways at the floor. "What is it you want me to do?"

"We'll tell you when you get to Washington. Don't try to signal for help or do anything stupid. We'll be watching you." Sherriff Tucker said.

The Sherriff took a pen off of his desk and stuck it in the pocket of Mulder's shirt.

"There's a very powerful camera in this pen. If you try to signal for help, your partner dies. Kevin will be going to Washington with you to make sure you carry out your assignment."

Mulder scoffed. "Yeah, he won't stick out with that gray mullet or tobacco stuck between his teeth…"

The Sherriff looked at Mulder than gave a suggestive look towards Kevin. Kevin walked out of the office.

"Now, don't you worry about that, Agent Mulder. All you have to worry about, is what we'll do if you don't listen to everything we tell you to do."

"Can I talk to Scully before I go?" Mulder asked in a defeated tone.

"No." The Sherriff replied.

"Look I'm not doing anything for you unless I can speak to my partner!" Mulder said, becoming agitated.

Sherriff Tucker nodded at Bucky, Bucky left the office.

"Agent Mulder, if I were you, I wouldn't test my patience." Sherriff Tucker said.

With no one in the room, Sherriff Tucker transformed into the shape of Scully, then the shape of Mulder, then the shape of the pretty airline attendant Mulder had made comments about that very morning. Mulder looked at the Sherriff, as he realized what he really was, an alien bounty hunter.

"You're a _bounty hunter_?" Mulder asked.

"I'm not anything; you need to worry about, Agent Mulder. Not unless, that is, you don't do as I say."

"Do your apostles know what you are?" Mulder said, in a sarcastic tone.

The Sherriff bounty hunter ignored Mulder as Bucky came back with Scully. He pushed her into the room with the barrel of his shotgun. Mulder watched as he forced her down into a seat. Surprisingly, she didn't look scared.

"Agent Scully," The Sherriff began. "You're going to be stay here while your partner does some things for us. If he follows his directions, you should be home before you know it."

"And if he doesn't?" Scully asked.

"I'm sure Agent Mulder knows what's expected of him." The Sherriff said, locking eyes with Mulder.

Bucky came around to Mulder and unlocked his handcuffs. Mulder massaged his wrists and walked over to Scully, only to be blocked Bucky's shotgun.

"We're leaving now." Bucky said.

"Let me just say goodbye to my partner." Mulder said.

The Sherriff nodded at Bucky, and he let Mulder pass to go over to Scully. She stood up and looked at Mulder with a confused look, as he embraced her into a hug. She didn't understand why until he whispered into her ears.

"Scully, it's very important that you do everything they say. The Sherriff is an extraterrestrial bounty hunter-…." Mulder whispered.

"That's enough," the Sherriff said, breaking up the hug.

Bucky forced Mulder out of the office, leaving Scully confused. She knew Mulder believed in aliens; after all, he was referred to as Spooky Mulder. She, however, did not know if she believed in aliens herself. She had seen a lot of strange things, but she didn't want to believe in anything that couldn't be explained by earthly science. Scully watched as Mulder was forced out of the doors to the outside. Whatever the Sherriff, or _bounty hunter_, was planning, was going to be catastrophic.


	5. Chapter 5

Scully sat in the Sherriff's office as Mulder was taken to the airport. Though she was highly suspicious of the situation, she tried to remain calm so she would not upset the Sherriff. Scully couldn't shake what Mulder had said a few moments before.

"_The Sherriff is an alien bounty hunter_."

To be honest, Scully wasn't sure that she believed in aliens, but she wasn't so sure that they didn't exist either. Just months ago, Mulder had gone to Antarctica to save Scully from what he called an _alien virus_. She had been infected with some sort of foreign and unknown virus, but Mulder had insisted that it was alien. Days later, when Scully had been released from the hospital, Mulder had told her that what they had fallen off of had been an alien spaceship. Scully decided not to argue with Mulder; not because she was tired or sick of hearing him rant on and on about aliens, but because she was afraid that he may actually be right.

"Come with me," The Sherriff said, breaking Scully out of her thoughts.

"Where are we going?" Scully asked.

The Sherriff ignored Scully and grabbed her arm. Just as she was about to fight back, she thought about what Mulder had said and how she didn't want her other cheek to be as swollen as this one. Sherriff Tucker led Scully down where the jail cells were and locked her inside. It wasn't quite as dirty as the other one, but it was still pretty dingy.

"You're going to leave me in here?" Scully asked irritation obvious in her voice.

"Just for a little while. I don't have time to babysit you while I conduct my business."

"Business, huh? What business would that be? You just got finished telling me that you sent Mulder back to Washington to do your dirty work." Scully said.

"Agent Scully, if I were you, I would shut the hell up. You know what I'm capable of." The Sherriff said, nodding to Scully's bruised jaw.

Scully glared at the Sherriff as he secured the lock and walked away. When she was sure he was out of earshot and no one would catch her, Scully quickly and careful pulled her cell phone out of her boot. She looked around once more to make sure no one was looking, and she called the only three people that could possibly help her.

"D.C. Telegram, the only newspaper you can count on to-…"

"Frohike? Frohike it's me, it's Scully." Scully whispered.

"Scully? Well how do you do?" Frohike said said charmingly.

"I'm in trouble, Mulder is too."

"What's going on?" Frohike said seriously.

Scully explained the situation to Frohike while trying to conceal her phone. Though she was whispering, she could not risk that someone would come walking in on her and catch her at any given moment.

"Oh, God," Frohike said. "What can we do?"

"You've got to get to Mulder; he's going to be forced to do something against his will. I'm not exactly sure what it is though."

"What about you?" Frohike asked concerned.

"Well, right now I'm stuck in a cell…" Scully said.

"No, but, I mean, what can we do to help you?" Frohike said.

"Help Mulder, that's all you can do." Scully said.

"Scully wait, Byers wants to talk to you. He said there might be some way to pinpoint your location so we can get to you." Frohike said.

"Alright, I know I'm in a little town in Texas south of Houghton. I'm not exactly sure where I am though-…"

Scully was cut off by the sound of footsteps. She quickly snapped her phone shut and hid it inside her boot. She didn't turn it off, but she hoped that the Lone Gunman would be smart enough to know not to call back. Scully kneeled on the floor and placed her elbows on the cot as if she were praying.

"What's going on in here?" Bucky demanded.

Scully pretended that she hadn't noticed him until that moment. She put her arms down and looked annoyed as if he had disrupted her.

"I'm praying. Is that okay?" Scully said sarcastically.

"I heard voices." Bucky replied.

"Yes, you probably did, since I was PRAYING."

"Don't get smart with me," Bucky said, running his baton against the bars as he was leaving.

#####

Mulder boarded the plane back to Washington with Kevin. He had no leeway to do anything; he was being recorded as well as being watched by the ex-inmate. Mulder wondered if he was a bounty hunter too, and if he was not, Mulder wondered how he got involved in this situation. There were not a lot of options; if Mulder didn't do exactly as ordered, the Sherriff would kill Scully, and he had no doubt that he would actually do it.

When the plane took off, Mulder came up with an idea. He stood up, and made his way towards the lavatory, only to be grabbed by Kevin in the front of his shirt.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Kevin asked.

"The restroom?" Mulder said.

"I'm coming with you, then."

"Look I boarded this plane because I had no choice, not to join the mile high club-…" Mulder said, trying not to crack up at his own joke.

"Listen,_ asshole_, if you don't do exactly as ordered, your pretty little partner is going to pay." Kevin spat.

Mulder rolled his eyes. "So you're telling me that I can't go to the bathroom? You don't think a pile of piss will attract unwanted attention?"

Kevin looked pissed, but he saw that Mulder had a point.

"You have two minutes."

Mulder tried to take the pen-camera down from his blouse, when Kevin pushed it right back into him.

"Don't even try it. You're not taking that off."

"Not even in the bathroom?" Mulder asked.

"You're not taking that off for anything. If you're not back in two minutes, your partner's dead."

Mulder walked out into the hall and made his way to the lavatory. He didn't get to take the pen off, but he was glad to notice that when Kevin had pushed the pen into him, he had forced the lens of the camera to point east instead of north. When Mulder was sure he was out of eyesight, he diverted away from the rest room and found a stewardess. Mulder made sure that the ear mike was off before he exposed himself.

"Miss, I need your help. I'm an agent with the FBI and I need to find the air marshal on this flight. There's a passenger on board that is a high risk to the people on this plane."

The stewardess gave Mulder a seductive smile before grabbing Mulder's t-shirt and turning the pen back north. He looked down, and then made eye contact with her, exchanging a very strange look.

"If I were you, _Agent Mulder_, I would spend less time trying to play the hero, and more time doing as told."

Mulder gave the stewardess a strange look, which followed by her changing her appearance to look like Scully.

"If you ever want to see _this _face again, I suggest you take your seat."

Mulder felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. He turned around to see Kevin standing there with a pissed off look on his face. When he turned back to the stewardess, she looked completely normal, like before she had before she transformed into Scully.

"Excuse me Gentlemen, but could you please take your seats? We don't usually let passengers in this part of the plane." The stewardess said sweetly.

"Sorry, Mam; it won't happen again." Kevin said, steering Mulder back towards his seat.

That was definitely odd, Mulder thought. Why were Kevin and the Stewardess acting so strange towards each other? Mulder had seen the stewardess transform, which must mean that she is an alien as well, but was it possible that Kevin was unaware?

"How much is he paying you?" Mulder asked Kevin.

"What's it to you?" Kevin asked.

That had confirmed Mulder's suspicions. Kevin wasn't working for the Sherriff because he was an alien; he was working for him because he was getting paid. It was more than likely that Kevin had no idea what the Sherriff or stewardess was.

"Whatever the Sherriff's paying you, I'll double it." Mulder said.

"Oh yeah?" Kevin scoffed. "And where the hell are you gunna two million dollars?"

Mulder's heart froze. Two million dollars? Kevin looked like the kind of guy who would pull something like this for two _thousand _dollars, never mind two million.

"I'm a federal agent; I can have the Bureau get the-…" Mulder began.

Kevin burst out laughing. "That's exactly why you can't get any money, _Boy_. The federal government isn't going to give you two million dollars. They don't care about their own."

"You participated in the kidnapping and assault of two federal agents. They will negotiate." Mulder said.

Mulder didn't know if the Bureau would negotiate, but he hoped they would. Even if they didn't, Mulder needed to know if this maniac was willing to budge for anything. If Mulder could get him to switch sides, he would have better control of the situation. If Kevin would not budge, Mulder considered the possibility that he would have to kill him and find another way to help Scully.

"So you're saying that your government will give me two million dollars? Me? A convicted drug dealer and parolee?" Kevin asked, breaking Mulder's thoughts.

"Yes, I can make it happen; but only if you help me."

Kevin gave Mulder a big toothless grin. "Well then, show me the money."


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you for your continued support! I appreciate feedback and reviews as usual, and I hope you are enjoying the story. This will be the last chapter for a few weeks; because, as my name suggests, I am in college and very, very busy! Once in a while, I will post several chapters in a small amount of time to see if this story is captivating it's viewers. Thank you again for all of your support. and without further ado, enjoy the next chapter! _

Scully paced back in forth in her cell as Sherriff Tucker and Bucky came in to check regularly on her. She wanted to call Frohike again, but she was sure she would get caught this time. She was grateful that they didn't try to call her back; they probably figured that she would call when it was safe. With Bucky doing rounds every five minutes and Sherriff Tucker poking his head in, it just wasn't worth the risk.

Scully looked at the small window at the top of her cell. If the bars weren't obstructing the opening, she might have been able to sneak through them. Unfortunately, the bars were in the window, and even if she did escape, she had nowhere to go. There was open road for about five miles, with no real trees or forests to use as cover. Scully let out a deep breath and sat down on her cot, feeling a sharp pain as she sat down.

Scully realized that she had sat on something sharp, so she sat up and looked underneath herself, but there was nothing there. With a sense of suspicion, she felt the back pocket of her pants and felt what seemed to be a piece of metal with plastic on the top. It took her a moment to realize it, but Scully suddenly knew what the metal covered in plastic was, a car key. Mulder had snatched Bucky's keys when he grabbed him earlier, but Scully had forgotten about it when the Sherriff had pointed a shotgun in their faces. When Mulder had awkwardly hugged Scully about an hour later, he must have put the single key in her pocket.

Scully realized that if she could get to the car, Bucky and Sherriff Tucker would have no way to follow her. There had been two cars, and Kevin and Mulder had taken the car to the airport. The only problem was, Scully had no way of getting to the car. As Scully thought to herself, Bucky stopped by her cell to do his "rounds" again. If Scully did escape, she would have to get by Bill, Bucky and the Sherriff without attracting attention.

#####

Mulder sat next to Kevin, trying to negotiate his loyalty so that he could save Scully. Kevin wanted money, and he wanted it immediately which was impossible because they were still in the air. Mulder's best move was to try to contact the FBI as soon as the plane landed.

"So, Agent _Mulder_," Kevin said. "How is this going to work, huh?"

"Our best bet is for me to contact the FBI when I land so you can negotiate your deal." Mulder replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, negotiate? You said you could make this happen."

"I can, I can, just calm down. Before the FBI gives you anything, you need to help us." Mulder said.

Kevin started laughing hysterically. "Hahahaha are you _shittin'_ me, Agent Mulder? Do you think that I'm some; some retard? I ain't giving you anything until I get my money!" Kevin replied, still amused.

"Look you're going to have to give us something to work with first. My partner's life is on the line-…" Mulder began.

"Do you think I give a_ damn_ about your partner, _Agent Mulder_? Well I don't. Part of the deal the Sherriff made with me was that I get to spend some "_quality time_" with your partner when they were done with her. Now don't get me wrong, I would definitely-.." Kevin began to say, as Mulder grabbed his throat.

Mulder had lost it, he could take threats against his own life, and subtle jokes about his work and _Spooky Mulder_, but he couldn't take anyone threatening harm to Scully. Kevin grabbed Mulder's wrist, and pointed to the camera slightly bobbing on his shirt. Mulder quickly released him, looking around to make sure no other passengers had noticed. Luckily, Mulder and Kevin had most of the wing to himself. Most of the other passengers were sleeping, reading, or talking.

Kevin took a deep breath and massaged his throat. He looked pissed, and thought carefully what to say.

"Listen very carefully to me, Agent Mulder. I agreed to help you on the condition that_ I_ get a bigger deal. If you don't carry through on what you said, I'll call the Sherriff and-…"

"Whoa, what do you mean _call him_? I thought he could see everything I do…" Mulder interrupted.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "And _you _went to Yale?" Kevin asked suspiciously.

Mulder looked at Kevin with a questionable face. He probably had read about Mulder's education in his file, but still…what did that have to do with anything?

"You really don't know?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Know what?" Mulder said.

"Wow. Okay, so do you really think there's a camera in that little pen?" Kevin asked.

Mulder looked down at his shirt. The silver pen sat there as it had for several hours.

"There's no camera in the pen, you dumb pig. The Sherriff put it there to make you do as he says. We have to put the ear bug on when we land, but the Sherriff can't actually see you. He does have additional people reporting to him though."

Mulder gave Kevin a dirty look and attempted to take the pen out of his shirt pocket, but Kevin grabbed his wrist.

"If you take the pen out, and one of the Sherriff's people sees you, he'll know I told you and he _will_ kill your partner." Kevin said.

Mulder thought of the stewardess, and how Kevin didn't know she was working with the Sherriff. "Do you know any of the people he's using?"

"No, he didn't tell me. All I know is, there are and will be people watching us, so don't do anything stupid."

Mulder sat back in his seat. The fake camera was a relief, but being watched by people he didn't know were watching him was not a good thing either. Bribing Kevin might have worked for now, but Mulder doubted he could keep this up for long.

#####

Scully sat on the cot in her cell and watched as Bucky made his rounds. She was trying to figure out a good way she could get out of the cell and out to the car. Scully tried to dig her nails into the cot to pull out a spring, but the cot turned out to be surprisingly strong. She thought about grinding the key onto the cot, but she didn't want Bucky to catch her with a key with what was now turning out to be three minute rounds.

Becoming increasingly frustrated, Scully stood up on the cot and wrapped her hands around the bars. There were only two bars, but while they obstructed the window, there was no way around them. As Scully held them, she noticed that they were wobbly, but she couldn't figure out why. When she heard Bucky coming, she sat back down on the cot.

Bucky gave Scully a sarcastic wink and kept walking. As soon as he left, Scully stood up on the bed and put her hands on the bars again. Though she wasn't quite tall enough to see over the window, she thought she knew why the bars were wobbly. She started turning the first bar counterclockwise and released that the bars screwed in. She began quickly turning the first bar and when she heard a clanky pop, she pulled the bar out and threw it aside. She knew she didn't have much time before Bucky came back, so she quickly started turning the next bar. With a little more hesitation, the bar popped and she threw it out the window.

Scully heard approaching footsteps and knew that Bucky was coming. If he walked by the window, he would definitely see that the bars were missing, especially because the shadows from the bars were gone and a lot of sunshine was making its way through. Scully jumped up on the cot and grabbed a handful of hot, orange dirt as she attempted to pull herself up.

"Hey!" Bucky screamed.

Bucky started fiddling with his keys irrationally before he picked the right one to open the cell door. He swung the door open, running towards the window in which Scully was almost through. He grabbed her ankle, but Scully kicked him hard in the face and pushed her way through the window. She was now outside, and could see that car about 30 yards away. She heard screaming from inside the cell and made a run for the car.

Scully pulled the key out from her pocket and held it in front of her. She saw the Sherriff Station's doors open, but she jammed the key into the lock and opened the door. Without putting her seatbelt on, she started the car and drove away. The Sherriff, Bill, and Bucky started shooting at the car with pistols, but thankfully missed the wheels. Unfortunately, one bullet made its way through the back window and clipped Scully in the shoulder. She screamed in pain as blood soaked through her blouse and her arm throbbed quickly. She didn't stop the car, but Scully knew that she would definitely need medical attention.


	7. Chapter 7

Scully swerved the car as she felt her shoulder throb in pain. She had been hit with a bullet, and she didn't know how badly. Scully felt hot blood run down her arm as she tried to control the car. She didn't want to pull over because although the Sherriff didn't have a car, she definitely wasn't far enough to evade capture if he was on foot.

As Scully drove down the road, her eyes began to feel glassy and her hand started to go numb. She figured she was at least ten miles away from the Sherriff station, but it still wasn't far enough. During the next few miles, she would arrive into town which meant she would be able to get a first aid kit from a drug store. Scully knew she needed medical attention, but she didn't want to risk going to a hospital. She would have to be her own doctor. As Scully tried to keep her mind off the pain, her eyes fluttered. She looked up in time to see herself driving headfirst into a light pole; but by then, it was too late. Scully hit the pole, and everything went dark.

#####

Mulder and Kevin fastened their seatbelts as their plane began to descend. Mulder was anxious about recruiting Kevin; he was a slimeball for hire, and he couldn't be trusted. Unfortunately, Mulder didn't have much choice if he was going to help Scully.

When the plane landed, Mulder and Kevin got off the plane and walked right through the airport and to the exit. Since they had no luggage, they could leave right away.

"So, you really think the FBI is going to give _me _two million dollars?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, if the information you provide is useful," Mulder said, not really sure what they would do.

"And what about that thing they say?" Kevin asked.

"_What_ thing?" Mulder asked sarcastically.

"That thing about not negotiating with terrorists? Guess they don't still follow that _bullshit_ line, do they?" Kevin said, smirking.

Mulder rolled his eyes as he walked out into the parking lot of the airport. The air was hot and dry, but nowhere near as bad as Texas. Since Mulder and Scully had taken a cab to the airport earlier, Mulder wondered what Kevin was planning.

"Now what, Einstein?" Mulder asked.

"_Excuse_ me?" Kevin said.

"How do you expect to get anywhere without a car?" Mulder asked.

"You and the female didn't bring one?" Kevin asked stupidly.

Mulder put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. Kevin was proving to be less and less of a threat every minute.

"Look, if I'm going to get you the money, I'm going to need my gun back." Mulder said, putting his hand out.

Kevin started laughing hysterically. "What do you think, that I'm, that I'm, stupid or something? Even if I had your weapon, I wouldn't give it back!"

"What do you mean, if you _had _my weapon? You're the one who took it away!" Mulder yelled.

"Yeah, and I left it in Texas. They're not just going to let me take a gun onboard a plane, _dumbass_."

Mulder had had it. He put his fists around Kevin's collar and shoved him against the brick wall. Though Kevin was alarmed at first, she showed a toothy grin towards Mulder.

"Think very carefully, Mr. Mulder. I may help you if you keep your deal, but one word from me, and your partner is dead. If you don't put your earpiece on at exactly 9:00pm, the Sherriff will know something is wrong."

Mulder took one hand off of Kevin and checked his watch; it was 8:41. Though he hated Kevin, he needed him if he was going to help Scully. Mulder spotted a payphone about 50 feet away, and pulled Kevin towards it with him.

"Where are we going?" Kevin asked.

"I gotta call the FBI. If what you say is true, we have a little over 15 minutes to make this happen." Mulder said.

"Oh no, no, no, no! We do this on my terms, or we don't do it at all. I'm not talking to the FBI over a payphone so they can trace it and make me comply." Kevin said.

"You've watched too many movies-…" Mulder began.

"I'm not stupid, Mr. Mulder. We do this my way, you hear?" Kevin said.

Mulder hung up the phone and rolled his eyes. Kevin was getting on his nerves more and more. Just as Mulder was about to walk off, Kevin's cell phone rang. Mulder's heart jumped as he watched Kevin fumble with his phone.

"Put it on speaker." Mulder said.

"_Screw_ you." Kevin said.

"Put it on speaker, or you get nothing." Mulder threatened.

Kevin rolled his eyes at Mulder and opened his phone; it was the Sherriff.

"It's me," the Sherriff said. "Have you landed?"

"Yeah we just got off." Kevin said.

"Good. We have a bit of a problem." The Sherriff said.

Mulder's heart leapt as he thought about what the problem might be. Though he didn't want to think about it, Scully was most likely part of it.

"Ah, what is it?" Kevin said, locking eyes uncomfortably with Mulder.

"The female agent, she got away."

Mulder's heart jumped into his throat. If Scully had escaped, he didn't need to worry about the Sherriff as much. Kevin obviously realized this too, because he became very nervous.

"I see." Kevin said, anxiously.

"Yeah, we have no car at the moment because she took it somehow. Fortunately for us, Bucky shot her before she got away. Cam's going to come pick us up so we can check local clinics." The Sherriff said.

Mulder's eyes widened as he took a hold of the phone, and whipped it out of Kevin's hands.

"Listen to me, you son of a bitch! If you so much as touch her, I will kill you!" Mulder yelled.

"Agent Mulder?" The Sherriff yelled.

"Yeah, that's right. You better hope Scully lives because if anything happens to her, I'm going to come after you!" Mulder said, slamming the phone shut.

Kevin grabbed Mulder's collar and pinned him against the telephone box. Mulder responded by pushing him back in the chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kevin yelled.

"Me? They shot Scully!" Mulder fumed.

"Yeah, and if they get her back, they're going to kill her now that you gave us away!" Kevin yelled back.

Mulder pulled Kevin up by the collar. "You better hope that they don't kill her!"

Mulder put Kevin down and started walking away. He turned around when he heard Kevin's cell phone ringing on the ground. Kevin exchanged looks with Mulder and picked it up.

"Yeah?" Kevin said unsurely into the phone.

Mulder heard nothing and started to approach Kevin when a huge explosion knocked him off of his feet. Mulder was thrown about five feet and landed on his face. With his ears ringing and his eyes flashing bright lights, Mulder got up quickly to see the remains of Kevin scattered everywhere. Blinking quickly, Mulder's sight came back slowly as he tried to process what had just happened.

#####

Scully felt rough hands pulling at her out of her car seat. She fluttered her eyes to see three figures standing above her.

"I think she was shot," one voice said.

"Where?" a second voice said.

"Where do you think? Look at her arm, it's covered in blood." The third voice said.

Scully blinked a few times to process what she was seeing.

"Frohike?" Scully mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me. Don't worry, you're in good hands." Frohike said, as Scully was lifted into an unmarked white van.

Scully was drifting in and out of consciousness when she smelled the strong scent of gasoline. Though she was in the back of the white van, she could see the back of the car in sight. Byers walked towards the van carrying her and Mulder's suitcases from when they had arrived in Texas. Scully heard the switch of a flare match and watched as the Sherriff's car was engulfed in flames. Her eyes widened, but her head became heavy and she fell against the floor of the van.

"How did you guys find me?" Scully asked.

"Byers traced your last phone call and monitored the last satellite feed. We flew here from Florida, actually." Langley said, putting the car into drive.

Scully felt a rush of gratitude towards the lone gunman. "I've been shot."

"We know, we have a room at Rickidy Inn about twenty miles from here. Byers will fix it up when we get there. We've been monitoring radio frequencies; the Sherriff has put an APB out on you and is having men check hospitals as we speak." Frohike said.

Scully put her uninjured arm to her forehead and shut her eyes. She didn't know where Mulder was, and her arm was in so much pain she could barely stand it. This was going to be a very long day.

_As always, I appreciate comments and feedback! Thanks for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

Mulder heard the familiar screeching of tires and sirens as he ran as far as he could from the airport. Whatever was going to happen, he didn't feel like getting dragged downtown to give a statement when Scully's life was in danger. He wiped blood off of his eyebrow and felt a twinge of pain. The police wouldn't know about his involvement just yet, so Mulder casually walked down the streets of DC until he came to the Lone Gunman's hideout. He knocked loudly at the door several times before he got frustrated.

"Hey, guys, comon! It's me, let me in!" Mulder yelled from outside.

Finally, Mulder heard the familiar clasp of locks being pushed back.

"Geesh, Mulder, you're going to knock the door down." Langley said, opening the door.

Mulder ignored Langley and walked right by him into the apartment.

"I need your help," Mulder said. "Scully's in trouble."

"We know," Frohike said, walking over to Mulder. "She called here a few hours ago, but hasn't called back. We didn't want to call her unless we knew it was safe."

"Could you trace the call?" Mulder asked, gasping for breath.

"No, she said she was in Texas, but she hung up before we could get an exact trace. We're all hooked up in case she calls back, but so far, there hasn't been anything." Byers said, behind the computer screen.

"Mulder, when I talked to Scully, she said you were in trouble, we've been trying to call you, but your line went dead about an hour ago." Frohike said.

Mulder realized that the Sherriff had his cell phone when he left Texas. He had probably gotten annoyed with all the calls from the Lone Gunman.

"Look, I don't know where Scully is, but she got away from the Sherriff. We have to find her." Mulder said.

"How do you know she got away?" Frohike asked.

"I overheard a phone conversation." Mulder said.

"Look, Mulder, we can scan satellites but we don't know where she was or when she left; we're going to need to hack-…" Frohike began.

"Look, I don't care what you need to do, just do it! We gotta find her!" Mulder said, becoming agitated,

Frohike nodded and exchanged looks with Byers. "Do you know where she was?"

"It was a little town in Texas known as Houghton," Mulder said. "We were at the Sherriff's station."

Byers nodded and typed the vague coordinates into the computer. "I can access the last two hours, probably without being discovered."

Mulder put his hands on his hips and began to pace around the room.

"Wait a minute, I think we've got something," Byers said.

Mulder turned around and walked over to the screen. "I can't see anything; can you blow up the image?"

Byers nodded and projected the image onto the television screen hanging from the wall. Mulder watched as Scully ran to the car from above and drove off. The car she was using went out of focus.

"What's going on?" Mulder demanded.

"Hold on," Byers said, zooming outward from the satellite footage. Mulder watched as Scully's car zigzagged on the road, and hit a pole.

"Oh God," Mulder sat, his eyes transfixed on the screen.

He turned around, while Byers fast-forwarded the footage. Langley let out a small gasp, and when Mulder turned around, he knew why. He watched as the Lone Gunman pulled Scully from the car and loaded her into a truck. Mulder's face became flat and his eyes bulged. Before the Lone Gunman could do anything, Mulder grabbed an envelope opener from the table and pointed it at them.

"Mulder!" Frohike yelled.

"Hey, what the hell?" Langley yelled.

"Mulder," Byers said calmly. "Mulder, I know what this looks like, but think about it. If that were us, how would we have gotten to Texas so fast? We couldn't have possibly known where Scully was exactly, not to mention, how would we know how to find her?"

Mulder began to lower his weapon. "Prove it, cut yourself."

"_What_?" Frohike asked.

"The Sherriff, he was an alien bounty hunter," Mulder said. "Show me that you bleed red blood."

"This is ridiculous," Frohike said, as he lifted his sleeve up.

Frohike pulled a steak knife out of the kitchen and held it to his palm. The dragged the knife across his palm, winced in pain, as Mulder saw the red blood drip onto the floor.

"Okay," Mulder said. "Now, you two."

Mulder held the letter opener with both hands as he pointed it at Byers and Langley. Byers held his hands up and showed Mulder his hand; he had a band aid on his index finger. He slowly pulled the Band-Aid off, exposing a fresh cut.

"I cut myself with that letter opener." Byers said.

Mulder looked at Langley, who was now gone. "Where'd he go?"

"Huh?" Frohike asked.

"Langley, where is he?" Mulder said, holding the letter opener at his side.

Frohike and Byers looked around, now that Mulder wasn't threatening them with a sharp object.

"Hey, Langley!" Frohike yelled.

Mulder walked to the door, where he noticed it was slightly opened. He felt the hinge, and noticed it was wobbly. He turned around to look at Byers and Frohike, whom both had looks of confusion and terror on their faces.

#####

Scully clenched her teeth as the Lone Gunman hit every bump on the road. She dragged her hand up to her face, the pain was so bad in her other arm she could barely stand it.

"How much further?" Scully groaned.

"Not far," Byers said, exchanging looks with Frohike.

"I can't-I can't-…" Scully whispered.

"You can't what?" Langley said, moving closer to Scully to hear her.

"Pain-…" Scully muttered. "I need something for the pain."

Langley looked at Frohike, who looked at Byers. "Where's the morphine?" Langley asked.

"It's in that bag next to you," Frohike said.

Langley turned around to open the bag next to Scully. As he was turned around, Byers turned around and exchanged looks with Frohike again. Frohike grabbed a small syringe and stabbed it into the back of Langley's neck. After a few mere seconds of struggling, Langley fell forward onto Scully and fell unconscious.

"What are you doing?!" Scully yelled, starting to panic.

Frohike kicked Langley's limp body off of Scully and looked at her coldly. Scully started breathing harder and heavier, as she tried to get up; but the pain was so bad, she collapsed back onto the floor of the truck. Frohike pulled the cap off of another syringe with his teeth and approached Scully.

"No, no-…" Scully moaned.

"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." Frohike said, as he transformed into Mulder, than back to himself.

Scully furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Frohike transform into Mulder. She must be hallucinating from the pain; or at least in shock. Nevertheless, Frohike approached Scully, knelt down next to her, and injected her neck with a hot, thick substance. Scully blinked a few times before the effect of the substance took effect. She fell unconscious as the Lone Gunman, or whoever they were, drove her to her fate.

_Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying this X-File, be sure to check out my new story,_ "**Blood Predators**" _under the same pen name! Again, hope you're enjoying this, and keep reading!_


	9. Chapter 9

Mulder whipped open every door in the Lone Gunman's complex. He had come to the conclusion that Langley was a Bounty Hunter; and though he knew he would most likely not catch up with him, he felt useless standing around.

"Mulder, he's gone," Frohike said bluntly.

Mulder started pacing around the room; taking a lamp off of the computer desk and throwing it at the wall.

"How the hell did this happen?" Mulder yelled.

"Mulder-…" Byers said.

"No, no, I want to know how this happened!" Mulder yelled.

"Mulder, call down," Frohike said. "It could have happened at any time, most likely over the last week or so."

"And why's that?" Mulder asked.

"We went to a UFO conference in Florida and got briefly separated. This had to be a planned attack." Byer's said.

Mulder sat against the desk and put his head in his hands. "What about Langley? The_ real_ Langley?"

Byers and Frohike exchanged looks. "Do you think they killed him?" Byers asked.

"No," Mulder said. "I think we're looking at Langley on that screen right there. This whole thing was planned, and for what purpose, I don't know."

"What do we do now?" Byers asked.

"We go to Texas," Frohike said. "We go to Texas and find Scully and Langley."

"Okay-.." Byers said.

"No," Mulder said. "We don't know if they're in Texas anymore. We need to find the Cigarette Smoking Man."

"But-…" Byers said.

"He has known about the existence of extra-terrestrials, he was responsible for Scully's abduction and for the bee that stung her six months ago. I have a feeling he knows where she is."

"Okay, Mulder, but how do we find him?" Frohike asked.

"I don't know- Skinner may know." Mulder said.

"So what are you going to do? You can't just bust into his office and ask him. We don't know how far up this goes!" Frohike said.

Mulder contemplated this for a moment. "I need to talk to him, if anyone knows where Cancer Man is, he does."

"Then we do it discreetly," Byers said. "The Sherriff may think he killed you; we have to do this where no one will see we're coming."

#####

The Cigarette Smoking Man took a long drag of his cigarette as he watched his men work with the alien men. He was pissed that his plan hadn't gone as planned; but now that everything seemed to be going on track he decided not to give his men a hard time. He stood behind the glass window and watched as his team of doctors patched Scully's arm. CSM had specifically ordered them not to physically harm her; but the plan started falling through when she tried to escape.

The head doctor came into the room where CSM was standing. He looked at CSM, and avoided making eye contact by staring at his clipboard.

"What is it, Dr. Nesvit? Surely you didn't come in here to keep me company." CSM said calmly, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"The bullet was a through and through; she'll be just fine; sore, but fine." Nesvit said.

"Good, then we can proceed as planned." CSM said, blowing smoke in the doctor's face.

"I'm afraid not," Nesvit said, as CSM quickly turned and stared at him coldly. "You see, though she won't have permanent damage, the bullet did cause her heart rate to go up significantly and her blood pressure to rise. The intended procedure could kill her."

CSM took yet another drag of his cigarette. "I am well aware of may happen; proceed with the experiment. We don't have long before Mulder starts looking around."

"But, she could die-…"

"I hired you because you said you could handle this. Do it; or I'll find someone that will." CSM said, as he blew smoke into the doctor's face.

The doctor nodded, and went back into the room where Scully was unconscious. As he went back into the room, the Sherriff passed him and stood next to CSM.

"I believe you owe me something," The Sherriff said.

"Yes, and you'll get it," CSM said, unconcerned.

"When?" The Sherriff asked.

"Soon," CSM stated.

"Be very careful, Spender. You don't want to mess with us."

"You'll get everything you were promised." CSM said.

"What do you want us to do with the man?" The Sherriff asked.

"Nothing," CSM said. "Leave him where he is for now."

#####

Frohike pushed the blue portable trash bucket through the FBI parking garage. He whistled to himself as agents and employees passed, trying to avoid attention that he didn't need. He adjusted the ear piece in his ear, carefully awaiting instructions from Byers.

"Frohike, can you hear me?" Byers asked.

"Yes I can," Byers sang, as two FBI employees walked by.

"Okay, good. My infrared shows me that there are about 20 people left in the building. In the North Wing, there are 17 people. You don't have to worry about them; they're probably working the late shift. I see three other people, two in Skinner's office area; probably his secretary. In the South wing I see one roaming person, I'm guessing he's a _real _custodian."

"Alright," Frohike said, as he swept the dirt off of the parking garage sidewalk.

"Okay, when it looks clear, take your PDA out and short-circuit the card-swipe entrance. This will give you access to the elevator without using Mulder's ID." Byers instructed.

Frohike looked around and saw no one in sight. He pulled his PDA out and did what Byer's told him to. The elevator opened and he pulled his trash bucket with him, as he pushed the button that would lead to Skinner's office. When he reached the floor, he was greeted by two armed FBI agents, who were pointing their weapons at him.

"Whoa, boys, hold on," Frohike said in a fake Mexican accent.

"We found the suspect," One of the men said into his radio.

The men pulled Frohike out of the elevator and handcuffed him. They lead him down the hallway and out of sight. When it was completely clear, Mulder pushed the lid off of the lid of the garbage can and made his way to Skinner's office. He peaked around the corner to see his secretary putting her coat on and grabbing her car keys.

"Mr. Skinner, I'm going home." The secretary yelled into the room.

"Alright, have a good night." Skinner replied.

Mulder watched the secretary walk down the hall and proceed into the elevator. He waited until it was clear to walk into the office and invite himself into Skinner's room. Mulder walked in and shut the door. Skinner turned around in alarm, only to look confused.

"Mulder, I thought you were in Texas, what are you-…" Skinner began.

"No time to explain, Sir. Are you alone?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, my secretary just left. What's going on?" Skinner asked.

#####

Scully's eyes fluttered as she saw warm, bright lights, shine onto her. Her eyes scanned the room as she saw men in white coats approaching her. Her eyes widened as they came nearer, and she looked down at herself to realize she was breathing oxygen and had a white hospital gown on. She moved her hand to pull off the oxygen, when one of the men in the white coats held her down forcefully.

"Inject her now, she's starting to stir,"

Scully felt yet sometime sharp hit her in the neck. She tried to wiggle free, but felt herself slipping away. She continued to squirm until the bright lights went dim, and everything went dark.

_Sorry it took so long to post a new chapter. I had an unexpected death in the family occur and have been very busy. Thank you for your continued support and keep reading!_


End file.
